Backyard Firepit Smoke: A Health Hazard?
Dear EarthTalk: Now that summer is coming, my neighbors will be firing up their backyard firepit again, and I’m wondering if the wood smoke drifting in my open windows is a health hazard for my family and if I have any standing to require them to refrain?
—Mitch Brasky, Reno, NV
With summer approaching, many of us are eagerly anticipating the first night we can gather with loved ones under the stars around the backyard firepit. But neighbors might have not-so-warm feelings about wood smoke entering their yards and homes. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), wood smoke is a complex mixture of gases and microscopic particles, and when these microscopic particles get into your eyes and respiratory system, they can cause health problems such as burning eyes, runny nose, and bronchitis.
Better Backyard Firepit Etiquette
As part of its “Burn Wise” program, EPA warns that people who have heart or lung disease, such as congestive heart failure, angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema or asthma, should especially limit their exposures to wood smoke. If you’re concerned about smoke emitting from a neighbor’s fire pit, speak to your neighbor about the matter. If the smoke remains an issue, contact your local health or fire department to determine further action.
If you’re in the market to buy a firepit and would like to avoid having smoke drift into your neighbor’s yard or home, some models are specially designed to reduce smoke output. The American-made Backyard Firefly firepit, for example, utilizes a vertical design that causes the smoke to be combusted in the fire and the remainder to rise vertically, reducing air pollution by over 50 percent from conventional campfires. There are also a multitude of beautifully designed natural gas firepits currently available. Natural gas firepits won’t produce smoke, will instantly light and won’t have to be cleaned like wood-burning firepits that accumulate ash and soot residue.
Is Fake Wood Safer?
If you already own a wood-burning backyard firepit, you can replace conventional wood with certain varieties of Duraflame Logs. Duraflame Stax logs are shaped like split wood and burn with the same charred appearance and crackling sounds of a wood fire, but with half the hazardous air pollutants of an equivalent wood fire. Duraflame Campfire Roasting Logs create hot coals safe for roasting marshmallows, hot dogs or cooking other campfire foods and produce 60 percent less particulate emissions than an equivalent wood fire. No trees are cut down to produce these logs and they are made of 100 percent renewable resources.
For those who own a wood-burning backyard firepit and would like to continue using conventional chopped wood, the EPA Burn Wise program advises to use only properly dried wood, because wet wood can create excessive smoke. To allow wood to properly dry, stack wood away from buildings on rails in a single row with the split side down. Cracked ends on the wood typically means its dry enough to burn, or you can purchase a moisture meter to test the moisture level in the wood. “Moisture meters that allow you to test the moisture level in wood are available in all sizes and can cost as little as $20,” the EPA states. “Properly dried wood should have a reading of 20 percent or less. Dry wood creates a hotter fire. Hotter fires save wood – ultimately saving you time and money.”
April 7, 2015 @ 4:07 pm
Eliminate smoke entirely by SOLAR COOKING in your back-yard or complement your grill by solar cooking a portion of your meal using an appropriate SOLAR OVEN.
Louise
July 8, 2015 @ 12:58 am
The best option is to be considerate. There is no safe level of smoke exposure. Even if you already own a log-burning fire-pit, buy a new natural gas one – there are many beautiful and contemporary designs. Some use fire-glass for an ultra-modern look.
Our health is precious. Don’t risk it by unnecessary exposure to the harmful toxins in woodsmoke.
July 8, 2015 @ 1:52 am
If you really can’t live without a backyard fire pit, you can have it plumbed for natural gas, which looks like a wood fire every bit as much as an indoor gas log does. Better yet, get over the allure of returning to your caveman roots altogether.
October 25, 2015 @ 3:26 am
Firepits should be outlawed. They can kill someone with asthma. People have no idea how bad it can be. Even without asthma they can give you a headache and make eyes puffy. Closing windows and doors doesn’t always help. Remember – smoke is used to find leaks.
February 20, 2016 @ 6:23 pm
Fire pits should be outlawed, especially, in a neighborhood where people live. They need to be in the woods or at a camping site. It is very selfish not to consider others, when we are trying to sleep at night. Most people rest during that time.
April 3, 2016 @ 7:22 am
Agree with you, John. We have our bedroom window closed on a beautiful night here in the Puget Sound region, even though we would love some fresh air. We live on suburban lots, less than a quarter acre, and it is just plain nuts that wood burning pits are allowed in backyards here. It is past 11 pm, and if we had gone to bed early our bedroom would have been full of smoke by now. An exposure like that can trigger a fatal asthma attack, or a heart attack. Fortunately we noticed the smoke as soon as we tried cracking the window.
Our neighbors could care less about anyone but themselves. They know the smoke is a health problem and a nuisance for us. They know it is illegal to burn yard waste, paper, treated and painted wood in their ‘recreational’ firepit. Their tenants’ baby has respiratory problems, and they don’t put two and two together about why that might be so. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has refused to send out educational material – they want you to make a formal complaint before they will do anything. The fire department is supposed to police outdoor fires and tell people to put them out if they are causing a nuisance, but since they are supported with voter-approved levies, they seem hesitant to enforce the rules on their own website.
Expecting people to self regulate or expecting already too busy fire and police departments to regulate this is a sickening joke on everyone but the big box stores selling the pits and the jerks with no concern about invading their neighbors lungs and sinuses with acrid, irritating, noxious smoke.
May 9, 2016 @ 2:50 am
Our neighbors have been talked to about our concerns not being able to open our windows at basically any time of day.they burn at anytime of the day and year. Is their any suggestions out there we have though about getting a giant fan to go up by the side of our fence that would point down into their yard.
August 27, 2016 @ 3:55 am
I am all for outlawing the fire pits in back yards. Also in the puget sound. It’s 72 degrees at 830pm and need to sleep but no, smoke is coming in my window so I have to close it and suffer with a fan only in a hot house.
May 30, 2016 @ 10:38 am
We are suffering with this now. Our neighbors’ two night fire pit marathon has had me in full asthma for four days now. I wrote them and asked to please stop the wood smoke. We are a condo and there is a nuisance clause that specifically addresses “noxious odors”. They responded, basically, “no”. Ignorance really is deadly. Looks like attorneys are I out near future.
June 29, 2016 @ 6:34 pm
The EPA should ban all wood fires. Except in the most remote rural areas, there are plenty of clean burning options for heat, cooking, and entertaining. Why outdoor wood burning, to the detriment of our health, our rest, repose and comfort, became a “thing”, I’ll never understand.
July 14, 2016 @ 3:29 pm
Our neighbors used some type of duroflame log, because it smelled of chemicals all night, The smell was lingering, but even so, I’m in COMPLETE brain fog today from the exposure as if I’d eaten a whole gluten cake and hung out with a bunch of long hair cats all night! Fortunately, I think they’ll listen to me and not use the firepit.
May 23, 2017 @ 1:22 pm
I live in mass my neighbor was told to remove a large pile of debri thought it would be fun I guess to chop it up pile it stacked neatly closer to us and now posting everywere on social media there gonna have bigger several fire pits this summer city BOH told us trying to aggrivate us
May 2, 2020 @ 8:51 am
They outlawed plastic bags for the grocery stores. How about this deadly practice of burning would in areas where houses are only a few feet apart. My neighbor who we help out quite often for 20 years didn’t care when I told her that the smoke makes me feel there’s a plastic bag over my head.
I also have MS. I do not need my lungs compromised. Cannot stand my hair and clothing stinking of wood burning.
Help EPA the ball is in your court!
May 2, 2020 @ 7:36 pm
I live in Old Bridge, NJ for 22 years. For the last 2 years, we have had new people move into the neighborhood that burn these horrible fires all night no matter what time of year. I am EXTREMELY chemically sensitive, as is my asthmatic sister and elderly mother. The houses on my street are less than 20 feet apart and the smoke fills up our homes, our streets, and penetrates everywhere. On a beautiful summer night we have windows closed sweating and suffering in our rooms. It’s either that or we are literally choked to death. The smoke is horrible and often smells scented. It causes our eyes and lungs to burn, we can’t breathe, we feel nauseous and sick to our stomachs. We have called the fire dept/police dept numerous times and they say, there is nothing they can do as this is legal in your town. Currently we are not allowed to go anywhere with out a face mask due to covid19, but these insensitive ass backwards neighbors are allowed to blow smoke down our throats with self made FIRES? How is that possible? How can this be allowed. I posted a comment on my Governor’s Facebook page and some despicable pathetic excuse for a person told me if I didn’t like it I should move out. A woman followed his post telling me to go to hell. This is what humanity as come to. You can’t fight it anymore. Everyone is evil, self-centered, self-serving and filled with hate. How sad. But the courts still function and the township will be sued.
May 8, 2020 @ 1:54 pm
I live in brewster,MA . My neighbor has a fire pit , the smoke,soot & smell from his burning is annoying to my wife & I. I also get soot on my deck & front porch from his burning the black dust has to be washed off, The town & the state say that they will not help us with this problem, they both say fire pits are legsll Is there any thing that you can suggest that may help us with our problem?